A Historic City with Both Feet Firmly Planted in the Future

Residents love this city and for good reason

Located just north of St. Louis, Missouri, Florissant is one of the oldest settlements in the state, tracing its roots to the late 1700s. Over centuries, the community has grown into the largest city in St. Louis County, blending history and local pride with forward-thinking development.

“Residents of Florissant consistently express how much they value living in a city that not only fosters meaningful economic growth but also maintains a strong, inclusive sense of community,” expresses Mayor Timothy J. Lowery. “In this city, people feel supported, engaged, and truly at home.”

The City of Festivals

Anchored by a lively historic district known as Old Town, Florissant’s calendar is packed with celebrations, and the city has proudly branded itself as “The City of Festivals.” From Saint Patrick’s and Juneteenth, to Polish, Italian, and Hispanic festivals, the Valley of Flowers Spring festival, Fall Festival, and Miracle on St. Francois celebration, Labor Day bike races, and Veterans Day parades, there is always something happening in Florissant.

“The Old Town district is where we have our parades and festivals and summer concerts,” shares Patrick Mulcahy, Director of Administration and Economic Development. “That’s where the community comes together.”

Adding to its vitality, Florissant is home to an extensive parks and recreation system which includes 20 parks, two outdoor pools, two community centers, a golf course, and the popular Sunset Park, where visitors can follow the Greenway Trail to the Missouri River.

Old Town, New Vision

Guided by a 2022 comprehensive plan, Florissant is moving the city forward. “That plan was for the entire city, but there was a large section just focusing on the Old Town district,” details Mulcahy. “It called for increased commercial activities, and redevelopments of older shopping centers to bring that walkability and the continued presence of more residents.”

With this in mind, Florissant is in the planning stages of a project to transform two parking lots across from City Hall into a town square. “It will be a place where we could have farmers markets and where we could hold festivals,” he says. “I think when that comes to fruition, it can help boost the rest of the Old Town District.”

Traditionally a bedroom community, Florissant serves as the shopping hub of North St. Louis County. The Lindbergh Corridor is home to a wide range of national retailers, while Old Town offers a unique mix of locally owned “mom and pop” shops. “Even if they’re leaving our community to go work somewhere else in the region, generally everybody is still returning home to shop in Florissant,” highlights Mulcahy. “We’re getting a lot of retail sales tax that way, which helps fund our extensive city services.”

Guided by its comprehensive plan, Florissant is now working to diversify its economy by expanding beyond retail. “We have a neighboring community called Hazelwood. They have a ton of industrial and warehousing. That’s where Boeing is headquartered. Mulcahy explains. Florissant is hoping to complement that economic vibrancy by attracting light industrial development along its recently renovated I-270 corridor adjacent to Hazelwood, and repurposing aging retail properties to support new uses.

A Connected Community

Behind Florissant’s recognizable identity is a communications team with a focused, consistent approach to branding and communication. “We have an unbelievable media team that has really helped, especially when it comes to the ‘City of Festivals,’” touts Steve Kinnison, Communications Media Manager.

When it comes to connecting with the community, Florissant maintains a strong and growing social media presence. “We’ve learned that it’s extremely powerful for us,” says Kinnison. “Most updates for our city go through our social media platform because we have so many of our residents following it.” He notes that the city’s digital outreach has grown steadily over the last five or six years.

Recreation Meets Tourism

While the city doesn’t have a dedicated sports complex, it’s reconfiguring existing parks to support youth sports tourism. As part of this plan, a large park known as Koch Park will become a space for soccer, hopefully attracting regional tournaments. St. Ferdinand Park will be repurposed with baseball tournaments in mind. “We’re trying to think outside of the box on how we can attract that youth tourism,” Mulcahy relays.

In addition, Florissant has turned an underutilized rec center space into what Mulcahy describes as “the nicest eSports facility in the St Louis region.”  He recounts, “It brings people into Florissant for tournaments and other events. That’s something we built because we saw a need to give our younger residents another activity. But it brings in tourism as well.”

With more tourism and proximity to the St. Louis airport comes the need for a new high-quality hotel. The city recently completed a hotel market feasibility which showed there would be support for a new mid-scale to upper mid-scale hotel in the city limits. A big push for a new hotel will come from the increased tourism expected with the St. Louis Zoo Wildcare Park opening in 2027, just minutes from Florissant.

Education and Workforce Development

The city of Florissant is split between two highly regarded public school districts, each serving distinct sections of the community. Mulcahy expands, “On the west side is the Hazelwood School District. The high school and middle school is well renowned and has received several awards.” The other half of the city falls under the Ferguson-Florissant School District, which has gained attention for its innovative educational programming.

“They have a well-renowned STEAM program,” he conveys. “The middle school and high school are actually both in the top 10 highest rated schools in the state of Missouri.”  Ferguson-Florissant’s International Baccalaureate program has also been gaining momentum, with a high number of students getting full college scholarships through their participation.

At the post-secondary level, the city is proud to be home to the Florissant Valley campus of St. Louis Community College, which is making major strides in career training. “They recently built two new buildings specifically geared towards workforce development and finding the next generation of workers for our community,” reports Mulcahy.

“One of the programs was the Advanced Manufacturing Center at Florissant Valley. Boeing has a program to get students from there and eventually hire them. It is a great new investment.” With proximity to three hospitals, Christian Hospital Northwest, SSM DePaul and Christian Hospital Northeast, the college has also constructed a new facility focused on healthcare called the Nursing and Health Sciences Center. The city is also home to the largest Catholic graduate school of theology in the United States at the Augustine Institute.

Infrastructure and Housing for a New Generation

Recent infrastructure investments in Florissant include the $300 million state led rebuild of I-270.

Along with state level improvements, the city invests several million dollars annually to maintain its local roads, working in partnership with St. Louis County. When it comes to utilities, Florissant coordinates with external providers. “We don’t have our own sewer or water department, those are separate entities called MSD and Missouri American Water,” Mulcahy says.

On the housing front, Florissant is evolving to meet the changing demand. “We’re a community that was built out after World War Two,” depicts Mulcahy. “A lot of the homes were built between 1950 and 1970, and the homeowner of today is looking for a slightly larger product, two story homes, two or three car garages.” Fortunately, McBride Homes is constructing two new subdivisions, Koch Park Manors, which will introduce 105 new units, and River Bluffs with 136  homes. These will feature diverse housing types, from large single family homes to low-maintenance detached villas. “That community kind of has something for everybody, which is very important for us,” he emphasizes. “We’re trying to meet people at every stage of life.”

The developments also integrate into the city’s plan for expanding the Greenway trail system. “McBride bought into our vision for trails within these developments,” Mulcahy imparts. “Both developments are along the proposed Sunset to Koch Park trail extension, and they’re building trails within them which will help those connections and help our costs in getting them completed.”

The Road Ahead

Looking to the next two years, Mulcahy names his top priorities, which are completing the Old Town Plaza, advancing the greenway trail network, maintaining a vibrant retail corridor, building a new hotel, and attracting new light industrial employers. “Those are definitely at the top of our list to keep Florissant moving forward,” he asserts.

Mayor Lowery summarizes, “What makes Florissant such a unique place is that when people move here, they stay here. As new businesses open and opportunities expand, our residents take pride in being part of a place that balances progress with connection.”

AT A GLANCE

Who: Florissant, Missouri

What: A Suburban City balancing historic character and modern progress

Where: St. Louis County, Missouri

Website: www.chooseflorissant.com